Waller County proclaims April Child Abuse Prevention Month; CASA and Family Ties outline local services

The Waller County Commissioners Court on April 15 approved a proclamation recognizing April 2026 as Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month and invited local child-welfare organizations to present their work to the court.

County officials read statistics cited in the proclamation — noting statewide figures for 2025 and local counts — and thanked local advocates for their work. The proclamation cited Texas figures for 2025, including 51,979 children confirmed as victims statewide and 30 in Waller County. The court then recognized participating organizations and planned photos for the proclamation recipients.

Amy Wright, who introduced CASA for Kids of South Central Texas to the court, highlighted the nonprofit’s local workload: “Just this year alone, our advocates put in almost 2,000 hours” and CASA worked directly with 54 children, making more than 1,700 contacts to support placements, she said. Wright invited volunteers and noted CASA will mark its 20th anniversary in June.

Heather Schottmacher of Family Ties described counseling, crisis advocacy and a 12-bed transitional facility serving victims and families. She said Family Ties provides local lodging support and short-term financial assistance and cited an approximate $150,000 in local direct assistance. “We are never going to not do primary prevention,” Schottmacher said, outlining early-childhood resiliency programming and a neurofeedback initiative intended to speed recovery for young victims.

The court approved related funding items later in the meeting (see separate article on county funding to Family Ties and CASA) and commissioners thanked the organizations for their services and volunteer work. The proclamation and presentations concluded with a group photo opportunity on the dais.